A Cambridge lecturer with advisory roles for UN agencies has avoided jail time after a drunken incident on a British Airways flight where he racially abused a passenger. Dr. Adam Coutts, 48, was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, for calling Hammad Aziz a 'jihadist' and telling him to 'blow himself up' during a flight from Cairo to Heathrow on July 15.
Coutts, who has advised the UN on migration and refugees, made the remarks after Mr. Aziz intervened in a conversation between the lecturer and another passenger. The academic also suggested Mr. Aziz should 'shave his beard' and accused him and his wife, Fatima Hashim, of being in an illegal marriage.
When challenged about his racist remarks, Coutts became aggressive and took Mr. Aziz's phone, refusing to return it and stating, "I don't legally need to give it back. I am a doctor, I need the police here." He was arrested upon the plane's arrival at Heathrow Airport.
Mr. Aziz, reading his victim personal statement in court, described the incident as "completely shocking and distressing." He stated, "He attacked me because of my heritage. I feared for the safety of me and my wife, I had no place to go, he was drunk, and his behaviour was unpredictable." He further noted, "He made several comments which I felt were racist. The comments were targeted at us as we were both visibly Muslim."
Coutts' defense lawyer indicated that he was being treated for alcohol abuse, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, stating, "Doctors noted he didn't get the help he needed. He struggled with his mental health for some time."
Judge Mohammed Bashir acknowledged the seriousness of the offense, noting Coutts was "seriously intoxicated and drunk beyond control" and committed assault, criminal damage, and racially abused passengers. However, the judge also recognized Coutts' "substantial personal mitigation" and a "marked departure from your previous good character."
In addition to the suspended sentence, Coutts was ordered to pay a total of £2,204 in fines and compensation. This includes £150 each to Mr. Aziz and Ms. Hashim for mental stress and anxiety, £400 for the damaged phone, a £1,000 fine for being drunk on board, £350 for criminal damage, and a £154 victim surcharge.
Coutts pleaded guilty to two counts of racially aggravated harassment, common assault, criminal damage, and being drunk on a plane. He is listed as a Research Associate in Sociology and Senior Research Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, though he is understood to have not lectured at the university since 2022. A job offer in Saudi Arabia has been put on hold due to these proceedings.